Here are some of my best :
Southern Fried Chicken (or real Texas Chicken Fried Steak) Recipe:
Try this out, it's an old trick of my Mamaw's.
Take some REAL cultured buttermilk (not that garbage that is thickened with carrageenan, the REAL Mc Coy). If you can't find buttermilk, use some whole milk that has been 'acidulated' by adding a tablespoon per cup of lemon juice or white vinegar. This will turn the milk into a thick substance much like buttermilk. Take this and pour it over your washed and dried chicken pieces in a ziplock bag or large covered bowl. Add some salt, black pepper, cayenne, and a few GOOD squirts of hot sauce. Mix it all up. Let this marinate overnight.
The next day, add a beaten egg or two to the bowl or baggie and mix it all up in there with the chicken and buttermilk. Take some Kentucky Kernel (I THINK that's how it's spelled) or Drake's Fry Coating mix (season it spicier to your taste) and put it into another baggie, then dredge the chicken pieces one by one. put them on a rack or piece of wax paper to let the coating set for a moment before frying. Fry in hot fat (preferably lard).
The buttermilk marinates the chicken and makes it tender, and also does something for the coating. This mixture also works GREAT for chicken fried steak. Just substitute cubed beef round steak for the chicken.
PERFECT POT ROAST:
Perfect pot roast EVERY time, is very easy.
Take your roast, season it, dredge it in flour, then sear in a HOT skillet in oil on all sides until it is WELL BROWN, almost burnt looking on the outside (this is the SECRET to good brown gravy!). Put the excess dry flour from dredging in the bottom of the roaster. Put the roast in the roaster, on top of the excess flour.
Take an onion, sliced, and fry it up in the skillet until it is carmelized, then lay them over the roast. Take a can and a half of Budweiser or another pilsener beer and mix it in a bowl with a package of Lipton Onion Soup mix. Dump it in the roaster.
Throw in your carrots (make sure they are good sized ones (so they hold up to the long cooking), four WHOLE peeled cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, a few grinds of black pepper, and put the lid on.
Roast for about 6 to 8 hours on low. NO PEEKING until you put in your potatoes in at the last hour and a half of cooking! This roast should turn out FORK TENDER, with a sort of gravy at the bottom of the pan. I've been making it like this forever-- this is my mother's receipt.
BAKED SPAGHETTI:
Baked spaghetti is an easy one!
Brown your ground beef (and/or Italian sausage) well in a hot pan, so that the meat begins to carmelize on the bottom before you stir it around the first time. Lower the heat to low, and dump in your storebought sauce after the meat is brown. I usually start with a GOOD brand storebought sauce, adding in a drained can of Red Gold Brand diced tomatoes (it's GOTTA be this brand; for some reason, I am fond of it). I add more fresh herbs like basil and garlic, etc; I also add a bit of white sugar to taste, some grated Parmesano Reggiano to add natural salt and richness, a bit of extra virgin olive oil, some chopped sauteed onions, and it tastes like homemade!
Cook your noodles al dente, grease a casserole dish (with olive oil), how big the pan is depends on how much baked spaghetti you're making..
Now, mix your somewhat-cooled sauce in with the noodles, making sure to mix evenly.
Layer the mixed up spaghetti, a layer of parmesan, a layer of shredded or sliced mozzarella-- until the casserole is almost full, ending with the cheese. I sprinkle this with more herbs before throwing it all into the oven. Bake at about 350 until it starts to bubble and the cheese melts, usually no more than 40 minutes or so..Enjoy! Cheesy
CHILE VERDE:
I make mine in the crockpot!
I use the boneless country-style ribs (pork loin or shoulder), about three pounds. Brown them with chili powder, salt, and pepper well in a skillet with olive oil. Put them into the crockpot.
Next, add 1 jar of La Victoria Salsa Verde, one large can of chopped tomatillos, two cans of green enchilada sauce, one large onion sauteed, one large green pepper sauteed, one Serrano chile sauteed, one large Jalapeno seeded chopped and sauteed, four large chopped cloves of garlic, a large can of College Inn chicken broth, and a bay leaf. Put all this into your crockpot, set on high til it starts to boil, then turn to low and simmer until tender, about 4 or 5 hours. Serve with cilantro, Queso Blanco, and sour cream.
CHIMICHANGAS:
A REAL authentic chimichanga is made with carne de barbacoa, a kind of Mexican pulled beef. It is usually made with brisket, but you can use chuck roast. Make sure it is about 3 pounds, lean, and no bone!
Season your roast with chili powder, salt, and pepper liberally, then brown in a HOT skillet in a bit of olive oil until it is quite brown on all sides.Remove from pan. After this, put it in a medium size roasting pan and add a package of Goya Sazon seasoning; you can get a box of this stuff in the Latino section of most groceries. Also add one sliced medium onion, five smashed cloves of garlic, and a bay leaf on top of the roast. Pour one can of beer into the pan, put the lid on and roast in a 350 degree oven for three hours!
After the meat is done and cooled for a bit, remove from liquid and shred meat with two forks. Now, add some commercial barbeque sauce. I prefer Sweet Baby Ray's original for this sort of recipe. Mix well. Now you can stuff your tortillas..
Buy a package of the medium or large size flour tortillas. To fill, do it like Taco Bell does their grilled stuffed burritos! Go buy one and look at it, as I am too strapped for time to explain in detail (hahaha). You will want to use a flour paste (a bit of flour mixed with water) to seal the seam. Next, deep fry in a fryer or skillet in lard (manteca), until both sides are golden brown. Serve with pico de gallo, sour cream, Queso Blanco, guacamole, and green olives!
Olga's Kitchen Peasant Soup (my re-creation of):
For a LARGE POT, you will need: 1 lb frozen prepared Gyro meat chopped into cubes or torn up with fingers, and lightly browned (there are several brands available in the grocery stores), a large 16 oz can of Red Gold chopped tomatoes in juice, two cans of College Inn Beef Broth (or home-made beef stock), one large onion, chopped and sauteed, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, two large zucchini, chopped and sauteed, a cup of barley, a bay leaf, 2 tbsp of chopped thyme, 2 tbsp of chopped parsley, 2 tbsp of minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer all together until the carrots, barley and zucchini are tender. At the end, mix about 1/2 cup of cornstarch with one cup of cold water and pour into the pot while stirring quickly, until it is thickened. This should be very close in flavor to what is served in the restaurant.
NOW, if we could ONLY figure out that Olga BREAD!....
DEERCAMP LASAGNA:
I make my lasagna on the grill...I take a cast iron pan, fry up about 1 1/2 lbs of burger, half of a large onion, 2 cloves garlic chopped, and about a tablespoon of Italian seasoning...when it's brown, add two cans of Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce(Chunky Tomato, Garlic, and Onion), simmer for about 15 minutes.
Heat your grill to Medium.
Take a 9X12 5"deep foil pan, greased, lay some of the sauce in the bottom, dump about 1/2 a bottle of bottled water in it.
Lay a layer of DRY lasagna noodles in there, followed by this mixture: 1 large tub of full milk ricotta with an egg mixed right into the tub and 1/2 tbsp of Italian seasoning. Use about half on this layer. Follow with 1/2 large bag of shredded mozzarella. Add more sauce, then another layer of noodles. Do another layer of ricotta mixture, then another layer of mozzarella, then sauce.
Sprinkle the top with another bag of mozzarella, and finish with another sprinkle of Italian seasoning. I always pour the rest of the bottled water all around the edges before sealing with aluminum foil over the top of the pan. Make sure it's tight! Put on top rack of grill, and close the lid.
Cook for about 1 1/2 hours (time enough for a quad ride to go check up on your deer blind).
The lasagna will expand to about twice its uncooked size, and is usually brown on top and edges when done...This is good stuff, I came up with it at deer camp one year!
P.S. Please excuse the capitalization and punctuation typos-- I'm in a hurry!